What’s interesting is that each of the stores focuses on original design—and what’s really fun is spending a morning or afternoon browsing all three shops in search of some great Valentine’s Day bling. We couldn’t wait to see what Maureen Hoyt of Optional Art was doing on Pineapple after closing her boutique on St. Armands Circle last May. Apparently lots of loyal customers couldn’t wait, either—they were popping in to say “hi” during our visit.

 Optional Art's Maureen Hoyt.

Optional Art will continue carrying the award-winning names its loyal fans adored (Roberto Coin, Michael Sugarman and Gellner to name a few) in very special limited editions and one-off pieces. “I’m having so much fun and I’m happy to be doing what I love—designing—and not having the responsibility or stress of a big retail operation,” Hoyt told us. Picking up where she left off on the Circle, she is focusing on updating clients’ jewelry—breathing new life into tired pearl necklaces, brooches, rings and more with several options, including the Vario clasp system from the European House of Gellner.

 A Gallner Vario clasp.

For Valentine’s Day, check out the Roberto Coin gold mesh heart necklace (price on request) and a new collection of ceramic rings from Etienne Perret that you can customize with existing gemstones and diamonds you already own (of course you can buy new stones and work with Maureen on your own creation). The ceramic comes in black, white, pink, brown or blue and you can even inset an old wedding band, transforming it into something chic and new.

Ned works in old world techniques and deliberately makes his pieces look and feel as if they were excavated from an archaeological site. He has lots of heart necklaces for Valentine’s gifts and I love his Lion Belt necklace, a 44-inch-long sterling lariat style with 63 lion medallions in a continuous strand. You can wear it as a belt, a necklace or a bracelet ($895). Ask to see his add-on necklaces (my name for them). You can create myriad looks adding pendants, hooking on a bracelet as a tassel. The concept has to be seen to be appreciated; it’s really great.

Bowman's original heart necklace.

And don’t forget Wearable Art. Designer/owner Helen Ringus just opened her second shop in this square/triangle. The apparel store is on State Street and she just opened what she calls her Petite Salon around the corner on Pineapple. “I wanted the jewelry to be separate and more intimate,” Ringus explains. At the new boutique, best-sellers are celestial designs (moon, stars in gold with gems like moonstones and equestrian pieces in gold and enamel). Helen’s classic line: “I’m a stone-aholic” is evident in the vast collection of gemstones in the colorful shop. In June she’ll be traveling to Madagascar with fellow jewelry designers from around the world to visit new mines where they will actually dig for their own sapphires and rubies.

Stop by and pick up some of the great jewelry Dixon personally handpicks in Bali: earrings go for $19.95 to $100—wonderful, inexpensive gifts. And since $50,000 worth of damaged goods wasn’t covered by insurance ($160,000 was), the store could use our support during the holiday season.

 The new Planet store.

Then there’s Planet, a collection of clothes in a new store appended to and entered through Dream Weaver Collection. Planet is a collection of lifestyle casual clothing by Miami designer-owner Lauren Grossman. It’s has been so successful at Dream Weaver that it’s now a boutique on its own. Grossman’s look is hip and young but ageless, in natural fibers great for Sarasota weather, plus there’s Planet to Go—a wonderful high-tech, wrinkle-free travel line.

The Planet look.

 More Planet style.

Finally, we found a gift every holiday party hostess (or guest) will love. Le Macaron, a new patisserie and welcome newcomer to St. Armands Circle, is named for an ancient almond pastry known as Le Macaron. Paris is agog over this once-again chic treat, a trend that did not go unnoticed by one French family who made Sarasota their home three years ago. Rosalie and Bernard Guillem and daughter Audrey Saba Guillem decided that the addictive little cookies would be just as well received on this side of the pond, and recently opened their little café and bakery here. You’ll be hard-pressed to choose a favorite among the 13 flavors, from gingerbread fresh mint to passion chocolate. A box of five is $8.50; 10 go for $16. Plus, they’ve come up with creative gifts like a Macaron Christmas tree.

If you think you know St. Armands Circle, get ready for some fun surprises. All you have to do is look beyond the obvious, check out the back cases, ask what’s new. Consider Taffy’s Men’s Apparel, for example. Everyone knows the men’s clothes here are mostly classic—blazers and cashmere sweaters, stove-pipe trousers. There’s the bread and butter basic tan and navy…but the eye-popping golf club colors (apple green jackets, hot pink pullovers) are what made Taffy’s stand out.

 John Daly

Cookie Johnson and Oprah show off curve-friendly CJ jeans.

Cookie teamed up with Michael Glasser, one of the original creators of 7 for all Mankind and creator of Rich & Skinny jeans for help designing and merchandising her line. Oprah wore the jeans again on a “The Best” segment of her show, and the rest is history. At $145 to $198, fans say CJ jeans are worth the price: actually the thin set pays these prices for premium denim without batting an eye. The secret to the fit is a comfortable and figure-flattering stretch denim fabric that (according to Oprah) makes them the best jeans for women with “real booties.”

Jewelry at Addison Craig.

Amid the sea of designer shoes at Addison Craig you’ll find the most amazing little glass vitrine just brimming with sparkling crystal accessories. I know I must have passed it by at least a dozen times, but the bling caught my eye on a recent visit. Turns out, Addison Craig is showcasing a terrific selection of Erickson Beamon jewelry.  Karen Erickson and Vicki Beamon were the darlings of fashion stylists accessorizing runway shows before their new vintage jewelry became status symbols among superstar celebrities—the most photographed among them now Michele Obama.

It’s also about taking those memories home with you. Personally, I’m not turned on by kitschy beach souvenirs. I prefer the wonderful, elegant alternatives you can find at art galleries and boutiques in upscale resort areas like St. Armands Circle.

Harbor Island from Square on the Circle

Actually, the impetus for this blog was a blue and white sheet pattern on a bed in the window at Square on The Circle. I’m a blue and white nut anyway, and this simple, oversized shell pattern was so beautiful, I had to find out more. It’s called Harbor Island, and it’s from Lulu DK Matouk a division of luxury bedding company Matouk opened in conjunction with designer Lulu de Kwiatkowski, the founder of trade source Lulu DK Fabrics and Wallpaper.

Paradiso from Square on the Circle

Circle on the Square has her 500 thread count Egyptian cotton bedding in coordinating patterns. In addition to Harbor Island, there’s another bed inside called Paradiso with tropical birds, fish and flowers. The blue and white baby layette pattern called Minnow is irresistible.

 FantaSea

For classic beach style, don’t miss FantaSea which is brimming with elegant home accents and fashion accessories made from shells. This is the go-to place in Sarasota for beach wedding favors, shell encrusted mirrors, sconces, chandeliers and more. Plus there are cases of shell napkin rings that look like jewelry and everything from mermaid-style wedding tiaras to evening bags and shell jewelry. On a recent visit, I found great gifts from a distressed wood mermaid wall sculpture to an incredible yoke necklace of pearls and shells.

Yoke necklace with shells and mother of pearl at FantaSea.

Sarasota’s Wyland Gallery on St. Armands Circle is devoted to art that captures the beauty of the undersea world and encourages conservation. Founder Robert Wyland also owns three other galleries in Florida, all showcasing his work as well as that of 24 other artists, including David "Big Wave Dave" Wight, who’ll be at the Sarasota gallery November 30 through December 5. Wright does amazing sculpted glass interpretations of the oceans' churning waves, and will be introducing his latest works during his weeklong appearance.

When visiting the gallery, ask about Wyland’s fascinating work in the environmental art movement. He estimates a billion people view his artwork each year — particularly the mammoth Whaling Wall murals he paints to promote the preservation of the oceans and their creatures. He’s done 100 between 1996 and 2008, the last wall completed in Beijing just before the opening of the 2008 Olympics.

Gail Ross of Tilden Ross became so smitten with Heather Moore’s personalized bijoux that she just added the designer’s complete collection—and created a necklace of her own from the myriad charms and custom inscription options available. “I have a Scrabble board charm because I love Scrabble. One of my charms is a paw print to represent my dog, and I have a heart that says ‘Je T’aime Richard’ [that’s her husband and Tilden Ross co-owner],” she explains. I love the one that has her sister’s name and the inscription “Best Friend.” My sister is my best friend, too—I want one of those charms.

Gail says the great thing is that this jewelry can be tailored to a range of budgets, depending on whether you choose silver, silver and gold combinations or 18K gold in a rainbow of tones from yellow to white, to green or rose. Each date, name, or monogram is hand pressed with vintage, turn-of-the-century tools. And Heather Moore Jewelry also makes their own stamps so they can re-create a family crest, or design monograms, symbols or drawings for you through Tilden Ross.

Thank goodness for Sarasota winters, because you can buy the Lilly Pulitzer look that Charlotte sported for the sequel’s publicity shots right now on St. Armands Circle. Of course no one knows if the preppy skirt Kristin Davis wore while the new movie was being filmed on Fifth Avenue in New York will make the final edit, but we do know retro ‘80s looks are featured in the film’s opening sequence during Carrie Bradshaw ‘s flashback about the day she first met gal pals Samantha and Charlotte.

Shannon Moulton, manager at Lilly Pulitzer on St. Armands Circle has just unpacked the new Originals collection and tells me everyone at Lilly has their fingers crossed about the 1959-ish Roslyn skirt making the cut. But the Originals don’t really need the movie to succeed: the new brochure for the collection has photos of Kathleen Kennedy and her grandmother Rose wearing Lilly shift dresses way back when. On another page, Kick and Kyra Kennedy, daughters of Robert Kennedy Jr., are modeling clothes from the new collection.

When it comes to Sex and the City fashion statements, you won’t want to miss La Perlelle, a new jewelry store on St. Armands Circle (well actually on Fillmore Drive). Their featured designer, San Francisco-based Masha Archer says she was as surprised as anyone when she saw the movie last year—and Sarah Jessica Parker wearing her necklace of quartz, vintage glass and turquoise baubles on the beach in Mexico (actually L.A.). Apparently, stylists had called in several pieces of Archer’s jewelry, and she didn’t know anything had made the cut.

Who wouldn’t be thrilled with a gift of this jewelry, which captures Archer’s flair for combining eclectic and ancient elements?  La Perlelle owner Mindi Meyer has several necklaces (starting at about $1500) from a collection Archer has dubbed Carrie Bradshaw’s Mexico Festival Series. And Meyer is wagering that the series will be updated with new pieces debuting in the movie sequel. Ask to see one of the most popular gifts in the store, the Miranda Earrings by Masha Archer, which go for just $195.

So, I’m breaking in my new Bruno Magli shoes from Reason’s during market and can’t walk at all (just call me dumb and dumber). Luckily, the Market provides “Go Anywhere” vans (High Point is really spread out) and I used this life-saving service like never before. Judy Eidge spots my Sarasota badge on the bus line and tells me she loves the magazine and has been featured on our pages when she owned Custom Arts Company Inc. When Sarasota’s real estate (and therefore home decorating) markets were flourishing, Judy’s business was a consortium of 22 artists who did murals, faux finishing, and gold leafing for John Cannon and a host of local interior designers.

Next, I’m on my way to Hickory Chair on the 8^th floor of IHFC (more about that in the next blog) and Dora the Explorer of Nickelodeon accosts me in the elevator. I don’t know who Dora is, but in the close quarters of an elevator everyone offers an explanation—adding that the new Nickelodeon children’s furniture from Lea is the hottest introduction at market. It’s on the 9^th floor, so I take a detour and ask for a press tour, after which I get a huge stuffed SpongeBob SquarePants for my trouble (and my photo taken with the characters).

  I'm surrounded by real live characters, Dora the Explorer and SpongeBob SquarePants.

Actually the furniture is incredible. It’s based on extensive focus group research with kids and moms, and it revolutionizes this category. The collection is called Nickelodeon My Room, and is divided into three age groups: the Nick line is for three to seven-year-olds, a TweenNick group for ages 8 to 11, and a techy, Hollywood looking TeenNick for teens and up.

Panels like this come with your furniture: Dora for girls, Diego for boys.  Everything, including glow in the dark slime, is removable.

What’s great is that the Nickelodeon characters and imagery come on panels that can be removed as the child grows up or becomes partial to a new character. And the storage is amazing, because that’s what parents asked for. Can’t wait to see this line in Sarasota stores.

In Nickelodeon's research, moms said they would buy furniture with graphics, if the art were removable as in this Bob Squared Chest

   

The Slime Time five-draw chest, left, oozes glow in the dark slime and has green slim draw pulls. Right, SpongeBob bubbles and graphics glow in the dark on the Bikini Bottom 6-drawer chest for Tweens.

The Met’s incredibly talented young owners, Brenda and Geoffrey Michel, approached Tina early this summer with the concept. And as you read this blog, Tina’s husband (architect Thorning Little) is installing his design for the boutique for a soft opening on Oct. 15.

 Queens' Wreath's Tina Little.

"Geoffrey called me in June and said, ‘The Circle is going to miss you,’” Tina recalls. “I jumped at his offer.” Indeed, the boutique is good for both companies. Little’s long-standing customers on Longboat Key don’t have to cross the Ringling Bridge, and her growing base of downtown clients has the convenience of a Main Street location. “I feel Tina has the experience and taste level to offer our clients an incredible presentation of jewelry from around the world. Queens’ Wreath clearly understands luxury and timeless value,” Geoffrey Michel explains. So QWJ gets double the exposure-- and The Met further expands its complete lifestyle vision with upscale fine jewelry.

Celebrating and improving life is just what Shayna Teicher is doing with her new store, Butterfly Effect, on North Orange Avenue. The grand opening is set for Friday, Oct. 2, from 5-8 p.m. Shayna’s shop will showcase a selection of all-natural bath, body and skin care products as well as make-up. She’s focusing on companies that give back to the needy around the world, and will be doing events to help local charities.  Local vendors featured at the shop are Jasmine McAllister, who created a special recycled line of eco-friendly Jaszy’s Jewelry for Butterfly Effect, and SanRe skin care products—a Sarasota-based company that makes natural herbal “organic skinfood” at reasonable prices (“$30 for a cream instead of $90 for a comparable national brand,” Shayna says.) The grand opening party sounds fun: champagne, nibbles, mini spa treatments and more.

 Shayna Teicher.

Meanwhile, I hopped over to Venice last weekend to check out my favorite antiques stores on Miami Avenue. Wow! They’re gone, except for a very few consignment shops. Instead I found a new knife emporium—yes, a knife emporium, called Ubasi Cutlery. The owner is 32-year-old J.R. Kondisko, who’s been collecting knives since he was a kid. J.R. had just hosted the Sarasota Knife Collectors Club (formerly the South West Florida Knife Collectors Club) – that’s right; we have a knife collectors club. Who knew? Well, these knives look like jewelry. Most of them cost from $500 to $2,000 –some go to $20,000. So I asked J.R. if he gets them on consignment from the manufacturers like some jewelry companies get theirs expensive gems. Nope. He paid for every last one of them. And on his first weekend in business he sold two knives at $7,000 apiece. Still, with the average age of 70 for Venice residents, I’m hoping his Internet business does really, really well.  There are some beautiful gifts to be had – a collection of kitchen knives that can be custom colored; affordable brands favored by the military, police and firemen, too. 

By Carol Tisch

For the record, more than a few said they were cautiously optimistic. But there were real jobs to tout—some small, some out of town. When a designer from a retail store said she just got an entire house to decorate, heads turned –congratulations, camaraderie and encouragement filled the air.

“We’ve seen an uptick,” said John Collins of Light Up Your Life, “but we’re not ready to talk about when Sarasota will see a full real estate recovery.” The store, like so many ancillary businesses in Sarasota,  is dependent on the building, buying and selling of homes. 

Among the cool new products introduced:

The Ice Light High Power LED Desk Lamp ($179.95) with high powered LEDs and an LED head that not only swivels up and down, but also twirls a full 360 degrees, making it super easy to bring energy efficient, dimmable, natural looking light right where you want it. Believe it or not the Ice Light consumes only nine watts of power.

Totally amazing in form and function, the new Chasen S light from Flos (the Italian design leader) is innovative in its shape and the amount of light it produces through adjustable diffusers that are actually a series of louvers. Designed by Patricia Urquiola, whose Milanese studio turns out original concepts for everyone from Rosenthal to Alessi, the Chasen S lists for $2,725.

The whole family is involved in this full-service business: Steve designs restaurants, sells used restaurant equipment for defunct eateries and auctions stuff at suncoastrestaurantsupply.com, which links you directly to eBay. Daughter Paige bakes pies; Steve’s wife, Holly Buerkle, and his son, Steven Jr., man the store. “The reason we’re so inexpensive on small kitchen items is we buy in bulk for our Internet business and sell at the same low prices in the store,” Steve explained. “Our volume ensures we’re charged little or no shipping fees from vendors, which add significantly to retail prices.”

Local foodies next gathered on Thursday nights to root for Chef Danny on the FOX TV network’s hit reality cooking show, Hell’s Kitchen. Danny Veltri (the 23-year-old sous chef at a New Smyrna Beach restaurant got his culinary training at the Sarasota County Technical Institute) beat out all competitors in Season 5 for a coveted position as chef under Stephen Kalt at Italian restaurant Fornelletto at the Borgata in Atlanta City—which comes with a $250,000 salary.

The Callendaes show off the store's decor.

One-hundred-fifty choices (all preservative-and additive-free) include everything from rare green pod cardamom ($4.29) to true Ceylon cinnamon and Vietnamese Cassia (each $3.89). I loved the hands-on thrill of grating my own pink sea salt– which comes in a block hand-harvested from a huge desert in southwestern Bolivia that’s surrounded by snowcapped peaks of extinct volcanoes. Once a large inland sea, the ancient sea salt deposits were covered with volcanic lava creating this high-mineral salt. You get the block of salt for $12.95 alone; $23.95 with the micro-plane grater.

For all the retailers buzzing about the For Rent sign in the window of Queen’s Wreath Jewels on St. Armands Circle, here’s the scoop: The Queen’s new palace is opening on May 1 at 1310 Main Street in the old Cunard Ship Lines Building. And by the end of the summer, that eyesore of a smokestack will be transformed into a crown-sporting tower. 

A rendering of the new Queen's Wreath on lower Main Street.

So let’s get back to Queen’s Wreath Jewels. Tina Little tells us, “Queens Wreath Jewels now has complete ownership of shares of stock that were sold to local investors.” (She’s referring to Neil Moody of the troubled local investment funds, who had been an investor in her store.) While I’m not into fueling rumors, you know that’s very good news. Tina says she’s celebrating her 10^th year in business by coming home to the downtown she loves. “I have very strong roots here, and I feel reborn and regenerated,” she said.” In addition to carrying the rare jewels Queens Wreath is known for, Little is negotiating with designers of several lines of fashion-forward, playful jewelry that will sell for $200 to $2,000. “I don’t think I’ve been this happy or this excited about the creativity in the industry for some time – I’m finding some really great jewelry,” she said.

 Tina Little

“Timing is everything,” says AIA architect Dwight M. Herdrich – and he should know.

Herdrich is racing against the clock to complete his new Sarasota Design Center before the end of April when snowbirds and tourists begin heading home. 

So what exactly is the Sarasota Design Center? “Think of it as a tricked-out urban loft, not a showroom,” Herdrich says. Actually, it’s a 4,000-square-foot building at 1413 Blvd. of the Arts that will showcase and retail some of the most coveted lines in the international interior design scene – all perfect complements to the Sarasota School of Architecture.

It’s also a state-of-the-art video conferencing center business can rent out for big impressions, and an upscale party venue, also available on a rental basis. But wait: there’s more. Herdrich (who happens to be a keyboard musician in addition to his day job as an interior designer and architect), also has an AV studio (Angelfish AV) and his design studio on the premises. And a Beverly Hills-worthy home theater set up that will screen films on the same equipment Hollywood studios use to make and edit them. [A new opportunity for the Film Festival, perhaps?]

The furniture he and his employees will be using for work will double as showroom samples –of course, it’s from the office furniture lines he’ll be selling at the Sarasota Design Center. Just like big trade-only buildings (DCOTA in Dania; the Merchandise Mart in Chicago; the International Design Center in Estero), the Sarasota center is geared for designers -- who can bring their clients in to see samples and test out the furniture. Though the Center will sell directly to consumers who have no interior designer, there will be no price advantage. “We will not be competing with designers for sales – the idea behind the Sarasota Design Center is to give everyone in the community access to great modern product lines,” Herdrich says. 

According to its founder, the center is the new premier retail destination for the modern home. “It is a convergence of furniture, cabinetry, lighting, audio/video, art, music, and design, with the common thread being modern design,” Herdrich explains. Actually, it’s an immersion into the classic modern style of the Sarasota School of Architecture. “I’ve been a huge fan since I was a kid – it’s the reason I became an architect,” he continues. Herdrich’s family has vacationed in Sarasota long before he was born -- since his father wintered in Lido Beach to recuperate from pneumonia. “That’s why a lot of people came to Florida back then,” he says. 

The architecture Herdrich loved as a child needs the right classic modern furniture and architectural materials to complement its lines – but there was no one place in town to put the look together.   With lines like these, now we can.

There’s a story behind every home on the tour, and designer Mark Dalton even published a book about the design concept for his digs called Chic on the Cheap, Ringling Park. Mark’s idea was to furnish an entire home tastefully and “cheaply” with products from big box stores like IKEA. (The retailer loved the book and endorsement so much, they posted a write up on their Web site).

You can download maps and home descriptions at www.asidfwc.com; and here’s the list of designers and home locations so you can plan ahead: 

CAMERON COX – 7052 Hawks Harbor Circle, Bradenton, FL 34207

JAN BULLARD – 1217 N. Riverside Drive, Sarasota, FL 34234

JOYCE & JEFF HART – 96 S. Washington Drive, Sarasota, FL 34236 M

MARCIA KLEVICKIS NORRIS – 1221 N. Palm Ave. 106-107, Sarasota 34236

KURT LUCAS – 1330 Main St. #3, Sarasota, FL 34236

MARK DALTON – 2451 Davis Blvd., Sarasota, FL 34237

EMILY CONKLIN – 8046 Victoria Falls Circle, Sarasota 34243

CARRIE RILEY – 14406 Sundial Place, Sarasota, FL 34202

LYNNE ROSS - 1614 Southbay Drive, Osprey FL 34239

Tickets available on line at www.asidfwc.com and also at: Home Resource in Sarasota, Sarasota Paint Company, Manatee Paint Company, Florida Builder Appliances Sarasota, Robb & Stucky Sarasota and Tampa locations.

Get your blue booties ready for some serious walking, and have fun. One lucky guest’s name will be drawn for a prize of a two-hour consultation with their designer of choice, winner to be notified the week following the tour.

The owners of 1606 South Drive, across the street, are collectors of American pottery, which I found as interesting as the white cypress and masonry home itself. Designed by Albert Moore Saxe and built in 1938, the home’s second-story balcony lends a distinctively Southern flavor. The gardens are so spectacular (every bit of hard-scaping was done by the owners) they were featured in the Sarasota Garden Club's Founder’s Circle Tour in 1995.

Ultra-cool affordable picks for holiday giving.

How about an eco-friendly stocking stuffer created by a local artist? The Note Patch, a green business based in Sarasota, makes 5 1/2 x 5 1/2, 100- page colorful notepads ($9.95 – artsy holiday wrap is $2 extra), along with whimsical greeting cards ($3.99) and coloring books ($3.50 to $5.00), printed locally on recycled eucalyptus-based paper using soy-based inks.  

Find cute gifts from Sarasota-based Note Patch.

Mother-daughter team Barbara Sela and Vanessa Stafford design everything themselves and sell their artsy wares to retailers or to the public at parties.  You can call to receive jpegs of the items for phone orders. A website for online orders is in production. 

Sarasota’s International Design Summit gave me hope for our economy—and future.

By Carol Tisch

Bravo Ringling College! For the past three days you have transformed Sarasota into a world-class epicenter of global design. Wow! This was not design limited to the obvious disciplines: graphic design, product or fashion design. This was an introduction to a new world of design that is reshaping every aspect of our businesses and our lives.  The third Sarasota International Design Summit produced by Ringling College of Art and Design explored new interactions between humans and machines: communication with social, visual and mobile media. Sounds esoteric, technical, and futuristic – until you hear what is actually being done ( www.sarasotadesignsummit.com ). 

As an admitted no-technophile, most of this stuff was way over my head. But it was uplifting nonetheless.  I left with a sense that this new order of design is a growing movement that will eventually replace big numbers of jobs lost to global competitors.  I also left with a tinge of regret because the work and ideas presented need more public exposure.  Imagine the caliber of speakers we get at Ringling School Library Association’s Town Hall program: All provocative, inspirational, brilliant, big-name individuals who are so well known their ideas are common knowledge. 

The Ringling Summit offered up the same brilliance; but to most of us, the forward-thinking visionaries on stage were unknown. How thrilling to learn what they’re doing behind the scenes – everything from i-phone application development to gaming technology – innovations that give me hope in the future of our economy. If only Ringling College had the financial wherewithal to repackage these presentations to targeted professionals and businesses. People who might not be interested in attending the entire conference, but willing to pay for insights into specific topics—like Building Information Modeling (BIM), a process of generating and managing building data in 3-D and in real time.

What’s wrong with shopping at Macy’s, Saks, or heaven forbid – Neiman Marcus? Aren’t the first two already providing jobs in Sarasota; aren’t we all eagerly awaiting the boost to our economy that Neiman Marcus will bring when it opens at University Town Center?  

I just don’t get the vitriol about Sarah Palin’s wardrobe expense and the implication that department stores are elitist. Her campaign bought the clothes for her (and her family) at retail. They weren’t gifts from designers as is status quo with Hollywood and TV celebrities. She didn’t “borrow” goods and services as others in the public eye ostensibly do – all the while never intending to return them.

If you know basic business marketing, and indeed, the presidential campaign leaders are marketing their candidates, then you know that campaign expenses include many line items similar to those in advertising or sales promotion campaigns in the private sector. In the context of a marketing expense, Sarah Palin’s wardrobe and stylist fees are no different from Obama’s Greek Columns and $140,000-podium (the expense is identified in FEC filings at http://www.weeklystandard.com/weblogs/TWSFP/2008/10/140000_spent_on_for_dncc_podiu_1.asp .   

It isn’t wrong for Republicans to shop to the tune of $150,000 in local stores around the country and donate Palin’s clothes to charity. And by extension, it isn’t wrong for Democrats to spend $5,300,000 on their convention’s stage set with Greek columns and podium -- plus a whopping $800 million on advertising. Each campaign has the right to market itself and its candidates as they see fit.  

Let’s take this argument to the micro level. I am amazed at letters to the editor at the Sarasota Herald Tribune denouncing the wardrobe expense by the Republican campaign at middle-to-high end stores. One especially partisan entry bore the headline, Let them Wear Rags, implying the Republican campaign’s clothing purchases [specifically naming Saks] were hurting the people of America – maybe even keeping them from buying bread a la Marie Antoinette?  http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20081024/LETTERS/810240308/2163/OPINION?Title=GOP_fashion__Let_them_wear_rags

I maintain that shopping and the fashion industry help fuel the American economy. I speak daily to retailers from Sarasota to Venice to Bradenton who are hurting because people are not shopping. These businesses have been funded in many cases with Sarasotans’ life savings. Many of them sell expensive clothes because of Sarasota’s demographics. These stores provide jobs and tax revenues. What are the proposed tax cuts, rebates or whatever you wish to call the stimulus plans by both parties supposed to stimulate - if not spending in local economies?

I wonder: Do fashion editors who breathlessly cover top name clothes typically decry those who wear the stuff? I haven’t seen a shred of evidence of that in any of the shopping bibles, including Vogue and Lucky magazines. Moore denounces Palin as Caribou Barbie for appearing well-dressed. What are the fashion industry and its idolization of beautiful people about, anyway? 

If you attempted to buy the clothing featured editorially in the New York and Los Angeles Fashions of the Times, you’d be hard-pressed to put together a family’s seasonal wardrobe for under $150,000.  I guess the LA Times, NY Times, Vogue, Lucky et al just want to ‘Let them Wear Rags,’ and don’t really expect their  readers to buy anything they see on those $20,000- to $150,000-a-page ads that Saks, Macy’s, Neiman Marcus and myriad designers place in their publications. Excuse me, is Moore’s column what they call a political gaffe?

Sarasota retailers have been moving around a lot lately, so some consumers are understandably confused. I assumed that was the case last week when a cagey octogenarian insisted that Florida Builder Appliances was holding its grand opening party in the wrong store. The shopper was looking for Ethan Allen, which was right next door. Of course, she may have been sidetracked: Ethan Allen didn’t have executive chef Chris Covelli outside its front door barbecuing up a storm.

Chef Christoper Covelli, of L'Uva on the Road, and Stepahnie Stakely, contract account manager for Whirlpool, outside the new Florida Builder Appliances.

If you want to make a political statement, buy a $195 tie.

Okay, so I’m not a political pundit – I write about shopping. Maybe that’s why I got so excited when I opened a press kit from Saks Fifth Avenue announcing the arrival in 23 stores across the country of their donkey and elephant ties. Naively, I thought the donkeys and elephants were frolicking happily together on the same tie – the photo was really small on the press release – and I guess after the past two weeks of conventions, I wanted to believe that we could actually cross party lines and work together for the greater good.

Now if this were one of those extremely divisive political blogs we wouldn’t be giving equal space to the elephant ties (the purple one) and the donkey ties (shown in blue). If this were the biased press, we’d reveal some stats I got on the sales floor while silently observing sales and comments from both customers and staff. But we won’t. I will tell you that people are buying five ties at a clip as gifts for friends and family. The ties are beautiful and made in Italy exclusively by Charvet for Saks – each comes in a choice of three colors, and they’re so tasteful you could wear them all year. 

Eco-friendly and global fashion at two new Sarasota stores.

By Carol Tisch

What fun to find two new boutiques cool enough (in concept, merchandise and temperature) to make you glad you’re in town for the dog days of summer.

Kelietza is a sliver of a store on South Pineapple opened by Kelly Augustyniak about six months ago and already a hit with fashionistas who want hip clothes with international flair.

It’s amazing how many countries are represented in this minimalist setting, where luxuriously spacious dressing rooms take up nearly a third of the floor space. Sunglasses from New Zealand; organic perfumes from Paris; clothes from Italy, Spain, South Africa and Australia: It’s an international potpourri that encompasses the classic, elegant and cutting edge. The name on the door is the nickname Kelly’s grandfather gave her as a child: Kelietza, she says, means Little Kelly in his native Slavic dialog.

Kelly says she moved to Sarasota two years ago, worked at five different jobs and decided it was time to open her own business. “It’s going well, and growing by word of mouth referrals” she says. “Clients tell their friends they don’t need to go to New York for avant-garde clothes anymore."

Equally intriguing is Juno & Jove. Though owner and founder Olivia Bono has been selling over the Internet for some time, her new brick and mortar flagship store at 100 Central Avenue opened less than a month ago. “We chose Sarasota because it is a progressive city with a strong sense of history,” says Bono.

The 2,000-square-foot store also displays a reverence for the past: The décor is inspired by the Arts and Crafts movement of the early 20^th century. The environment is as chic as a luxury resort gift shop with a smattering of elegant clothes, home furnishings and gifts that are irresistible.

“We sell everything you see, including the antique furniture and fixtures,” explained Craig Grayson, director of operations, as he walked me through the micro department store. The shop specializes in eco-luxury: upscale products and brands that embody social and environmental responsibility. This merchandise proves that eco-friendly design has as much style as substance these days. They have duffle bags and watches by Morgan Gray; high-end bed linens from Maestro Raphael in Italy, stunning swimwear by Karla Colletto, and a lot more fashion for the home, for men and women—including an eco-selection from Linda Louderrmilk, whose clothes are made from sasawashi, bamboo, sea cell, soy and other exotic self-sustaining plants.

You can buy the same Forza towels made for high end luxury hotels; sheets by Christian Fischbacher and Heavenly Bamboo towels in a blend of certified organic cotton and plantation grown bamboo. Snowbirds can shop the Web site (www.junoandjove.com) until the grand opening in season; but Grayson says only a quarter of what’s available in store is sold online.

I’m predicting a lot more pressure on 20-and-30-somethings to produce grandchildren now that Sarasota has so many irresistible kids’ clothing stores. If you want “cute,” then head straight to the adorable Little Bo-Tique on St. Armands Circle where you’ll find everything from fluffy pink ballerina tutus to white rabbit coats and matching fur hand muffs. The little pink rhinestone-trimmed Mary Janes would make Imelda Marcos and Sara Jessica Parker swoon.

 Then there’s A Bun in the Oven in San Marco Plaza on Lakewood Ranch. They scour entertainment and fashion magazines for celeb choices for baby linens, diaper bags, infants and toddlers’ clothes and apropos to their name, the hottest new maternity wear. This is heaven on earth for future grandmothers – or if you’re like me, grandma wannabes. Oh, the symbiotic shopping relationships these stores promise – the retail therapy that binds generations and ensures the survival of Species Fashionista.

 Designer Zoya Bograd, renowned for the ultimate kids' rooms, created Peter's Room for Kips Bay.

I went to Kips Bay because the famous designer Charlotte Moss (whose work I truly admire) did one of the spaces—and honestly, it was a disappointment. Charlotte’s designs need to be set in rooms with good bone structure, and this was the first time in Kips Bays’ 36 years that the show house was held in an apartment building rather than a townhouse.

Tory Burch logo shoes are "it" in New York, and on sale now at Addison Craig.

Seeing new designs—and old Sarasota buddies—at New York’s Contemporary Furniture Fair.

So I’m walking down the aisles at the International Contemporary Furniture Fair in New York last week, bedazzled by the creativity all around me. Suddenly I see an incongruous image: a woman is trying out a parasol in one of the booths. Even more amazing: I know her face – just can’t seem to place it. Within seconds I realize it is Kathy Bush of Home Resource in good old Sarasota.

If you’ve been haunted by the Murano glass treasures you passed up in Venice, you’ll stop fretting the minute you walk into I tesori. This sophisticated little shop in aptly-named San Marco Plaza (in Lakewood Ranch) offers a smattering of all the best of Italian decorative arts, including Murano glass in everything from contemporary vases to stunning new interpretations of Old World chandeliers.

“The color and light inspired me,” she said. “ And I was inspired by a show I saw at a gallery in New York. Three quarters of what was selling was sculptural.”

Some of i tesori's selection of beads and baubles.

 i-tesori was decked out with myriad one-of-a-kind necklaces from $120 to $400 depending on the complexity of the beads, some designed by Levy and hand-blown to her specifications. “Bead-making is a carriage trade in Venice,” she explained. “I travel all over Murano to source these beads from artists who would never open their studios to consumers,” she said. Foiled, but not daunted, I asked about her favorite restaurants. 

“That’s easy – Masaron and Oliva Nera. “Just ask the families who own these restaurants to make what they want for you,” she said. “But the crab pasta at Masaron is to die for.” So are the necklaces.

Shopping in Sarasota is like Forrest Gump’s box of chocolates – you never know what you’re gonna get. Who would have imagined that one of my all-time favorite stores – the very British-looking (but all-American) Smith & Hawken – was right under my nose with a full-blown garden shop inside the Ace Hardware on Clark Road? 

Or that I’d stumble onto the same decorative gift wrap carried at my other very favorite store, Kate’s Paperie in Greenwich Village? I haven’t seen papers that evoked such pangs of nostalgia anywhere in town – and certainly didn’t expect to find them at a place called (would-you-believe) Persnickity Cat? If you’re in the right place at the right time in Sarasota – and if you believe in magic – shopping serendipity does seem to happen.

I hadn’t been to Ace for several months. They’re the only place in town that carries Lestoil, a cleaning product sold in New York that I can’t live without (I had guests bring me bottles as house gifts until liquids were banned from airplane carry-ons). My beloved Lestoil was in the detergent aisle on the right as you walked in the store – at least the last time I had visited. So my heart sank when I saw the entire department was missing and in its place – who cared? I accosted a sales clerk to see where the detergents were.

It wasn’t until I was at the checkout counter that I looked up and noticed the new Smith & Hawken department (where the Lestoil used to be). While Smith & Hawken makes some items exclusively for Target, the last time I looked they only offered outdoor furniture. Ace has an entire department, shrub clippers, garden gloves, pottery critters and all. For me, it was the maraschino cherry in the chocolate box. I love gardening, but I think it’s because I love the gear even more. Trust me, this is nirvana for gardeners.

Though you can order directly from www.smithandhawken.com, I like to see what I’m buying and I don’t buy anything online that is available in a locally owned store. 

Salespeople tell me the Ace on Stickney is one of three Ace stores in the state with an S&H shop (the closest to Sarasota till now was in Naples). The ambiance isn’t quite the same, and the assortment isn’t as extensive as the totally seductive Smith & Hawken in New York’s Soho, but what the heck – it’s the stuff that matters and the Ace staff (no pun intended) assures me that anything in the catalog can be ordered for delivery, in most cases in a day!

“It’s Palm Springs meets South Beach,” says Tom Leonard, owner of the hip new Shore, a surf shop next door to Foxy Lady on St. Armands Circle. That’s an understatement! Leonard and his wife, Sue have created a prototype for a chain of lifestyle emporiums that do for surf fashion what Abercrombie and Fitch and Brooks Brothers did for the preppy look. “Right now it’s a chain of one,” Leonard quipped as he and architect Ed Eible, president of Architura in Sarasota, walked me through what happens to be one of the best-looking stores this side of – well, anywhere in the country!

Tom Leonard, owner of Shore, left, and Ed Eible, president of Architura, right.

The stuff looked so appealing I can’t wait to go back and shop; and Leonard promises there is even a surf look that’s age-appropriate for Baby Boomers like me – a non-swimmer who’s afraid to tread in water over her knees. In fact there’s something for everyone in this beautifully outfitted and merchandised store, designed by Foundation Design, the Seattle-based company that did the store imaging and theme for Tommy Bahama.

Inside Shore, which is beautifully outfitted and merchandised.

Be sure to step back and check out the store exterior. Ed Eible did a fabulous job remodeling the building, and I can’t wait to see what’s planned for the second floor. He says there were three apartments up there when the building was completed more than 40 years ago. “They had been covered over and vendors were using the space for storage,” Eible says. Though the building’s vernacular is correct for the 1960s, it looks clean and crisp in Eible’s renovation. “It’s a great lesson to learn about contemporary design,” the architect said, “It really can be welcoming and comfortable.”

Everything is illuminated: Shore at night.

So there we were at Charles and Edith Ringling’s marble mansion, a beautiful structure, and hallmark of the New College campus. The bayfront lawn was decked out with tents for Sunday’s fifth annual Exceptional Florida Estate Auction, a production managed by Bruce Crissy, local antiques dealer. New College gets a percentage of the gross, Bruce says, and there’s a formula that adds on more.

The Charles Ringling mansion.

The day was glorious, the view of Longboat Key spectacular, and if you peered to the south, you could see Cà d’Zan, the home of Charles’ brother, John Ringling, just a stone’s throw away. A lot of the pieces auctioned off were English (style), not as pedigreed as the furniture the Ringlings bought for this home in 1926 (their antiques were built by Hepplewhite and Sheraton themselves and hand-picked by decorators from Marshall Field).

Circus art was big at the auction.

Who knows if my plan was smart or totally stupid? I know I got my c.1790 English clock for the same price as a new middle-of-the-road Howard Miller model would cost me. And this is so much classier— more Ringling-esque.

This grandfather clock has a new home at the Tisches'.

But the calm turned to frenzy over the auction’s pièce de résistance: a 19^th-century sideboard from the “Ex-Montgomery Ward Collection.” The ebonized and bronze mounted piece with mosaic inset signed (R.F.S.P.V.—the Vatican shop) was expected to go for $190,000 and fetched $290,000 after Crissy announced the discovery that morning of a paper attached to the piece indicating it had belonged to Kaiser Wilhelm.

From the Montgomery Ward collection, a sideboard went for $290,000.

 By Carol Tisch

As fashion critics around the globe scrutinized every fabric, color, ruffle and hemline at Sunday night’s Academy Awards, Michele Young of Sarasota and her sister Melissa Blanco of Miami scanned for Hollywood’s newest trophy: the ever-so-hip baby bump.

 “I never thought the pregnancies and birthing practices of celebrities would become part of my marketing plan,” says Young, who launched Sarasota-based OBLI Organics, an organic children’s clothing company, with Blanco last November. Indeed, both sisters are marketing pros. Michele was a vice president at Smith Advertising in town, and Melissa a relationship marketing guru for a Fortune 100 company. That expertise played no small part in the Hollywood-style overnight success of their company.

The nascent baby and toddler clothing company garnered national media exposure last week because OBLI (an acronym for On Borrowed Land, Inc.) Organics’ best-seller – an infant “onesie” with graphics of a green baby pram and the slogan, “I only ride hybrid’ – was selected for Oscar night goody bags (AKA swag bags). And there’s more: The same eco-friendly item was chosen for gift bags at January’s Sundance Film Festival, where they also appeared in a display called the Eco Closet at the Lexus Hybrid Living Eco House.

OLBI Organics' onesie is a hit with celebrity moms-to-be.

“We picked up retailers in several states that are new for us because of the Oscar coverage,” said Young, who told us Write-On Sarasota carries the line. Web sales spiked as well. And while celebrity endorsements have long been the preferred marketing tool for luxury goods, the current obsession with Mommywood is impacting all sorts of maternity and baby gear. OBLI Organics’ timing is perfect!

But the product’s environmental attributes are what really resonate with consumers – celebrities or not. The sisters, both young moms in the same demographic age group as Jolie, J-Lo, et al, are passionate greenophiles. In fact, their families do drive hybrid cars: Michelle’s is a Toyota Highlander and Melissa’s a Prius. And the cachet of OBLI products, beyond the organic cotton and their adherence to  Fair Trade Practices, is the hip, educational messages of the environmental graphics and slogans. 

Okay, I admit it. I cried at a mock wedding. At the first annual Anna Maria Island Wedding Festival, Reverend Charlie’s deep mellifluous voice, the Gulf-front Sandbar Restaurant setting, the spectacular sunset, and the beautiful young couple exchanging vows brought me to tears.  

The wedding party at the sunset mock wedding at the Anna Maria Island Wedding Festival.

 Chris Tollette, a wedding planner with Sol Weddings, said the festival attracted future brides from as far away as Germany and England, and that destination weddings are important not just to the 30-plus local wedding merchants, but for tourism on the island in general. “Wedding guests will return for vacations once they have been exposed to the resorts and beaches here,” she explained. I, on the other hand, will return to Matt & Dom’s Pastry Café, my favorite stop on the wedding trail, where the young brothers are serving up wonderful petit fours and espresso and told me they were really psyched about building up their wedding cake business through exposure at the festival.

Jack Eka founder of the event, Rev. Jill Salazaar (ordained minister and wedding officiator), and Chris Tollette, wedding planner from Sol Wedding Consultants.

That’s why we’re advising every woman within driving distance to check out Big Daddy’s Fiery Foods in Gulf Gate. This is Everyman’s hog heaven—literally and figuratively—an ode to BBQ sauce and the barbecue wing (particularly feuding factions from Buffalo and Brant, N.Y.). There are wing sauce fixings so you can make your own from scratch, and walls full of bottled versions to satisfy every aficionado’s taste. But the ultimate macho gift is hot sauce: 500 different brands, and varying degrees of heat from mild to nuclear. The store is the brainchild of owner Chuck Rizzo, Jr., a Buffalo native and wing/hot sauce expert.

Chuck Rizzo Jr. of Big Daddy's Fiery Foods has macho gift packs with kick.

Our Venus gift list trends to tastes a tad more subtle. We love the heart-shaped dark chocolate gift boxes Divinia Jeanne’s Chocolate Heaven has concocted. There’s a small (about 4-inch) heart, $10.00, that you can fill with a couple of truffles ($1.43 each) or (if you really want to score) fill it with a truffle and a diamond engagement ring. There’s a larger, 18-ounce hand-painted box that holds 20 truffles ($80).

Deni S. Dreazen, co-owner of Divinia Jeanne’s Chocolate Heaven, with a  chocolate heart gift box.

The buzz that was—and New Year’s promises.

Come on, people. You’re not supporting your local stores. I know because so many of the shops everyone was buzzing about last year have closed.  Florentine Ceramics on First Street: gone. Angsana and Mary’s on Main: gone. Morton's wonderful gourmet market in Lakewood Ranch: gone. And Annabelle’s in both Sarasota and Lakewood Ranch: history (although the reason may not be customer non-support).

 It’s the middle of January and not too late for a life-enhancing New Year’s resolution. Remake yourself into a shopping locavore. Help our local economy, keep people in jobs and revel in the excitement generated by trend-savvy shop owners who bring you products you’d have to fly to much larger cities to find, or otherwise buy over the Internet sight unseen (with hefty shipping charges). 

For me, the biggest surprise was the closing of the brand new (three-month-old) Chasen Reed and Toulouse’s Wine Cellar at San Marco Plaza.  I schlepped up there with a friend last week to find they had totally vanished.  Both stores were empty. Nada.We’d missed a December 12^th posting on the Bradenton Herald’s Web site, reporting that the stores’ co-owners, Pam Kantor and  Toulouse Kellam, were “selling off their merchandise at drastic reductions, including 50 percent off on wine and ‘make an offer’ on some furnishings and other items.” Quoting Kantor, the article said, "We put our whole life savings into this, every dime, and we've lost everything.”

The article continued, “Kantor acknowledged that her home decor business had slowed along with Florida's housing slump, but she said San Marco developer Lion's Gate Development impeded her ability to enhance her surging wine business.”  We spoke by phone to Gary Moyer of Lion’s Gate, who said that the stores’ use clause was restricted to home furnishings, and that the owners knew from the outset they would not be permitted to sell wine or open a bar in their space. This wasn’t about wine, Moyer told me. “They said in the article [in the Bradenton Herald] they were affected by the housing market. They were undercapitalized and unable to ride out the downturn,” Moyer said.  Kantor and Kellam could not be reached for comment.

But store closings weren’t the exclusive purview of moms and pops in 2007. The new Bombay Company artistically jutting out from the front of Sarasota Square Mall was a victim of corporate bankruptcy. Ethan Allen shuttered its doors on the South Trail, and phoenix-like, a new Drexel Heritage emerged this week in its place. Coincidentally, the new Bacon’s Furniture, also on the South Trail, had been a Drexel Heritage store until last summer. Retailing is all about change.

Bombay Company was not exempt from the housing slump.

Last week my shopping pal and I bemoaned the demise of Crème, the wonderfully European beauty product and spa treatment boutique now vacant in the Rosemary District, the one we had always intended to patronize but never made time to visit. Next, we saw a for-lease sign in Sarasota Olive Oil Company’s window. OMG, we hadn’t been back there in a while, either. We vowed henceforth to support the stores we love, ergo the trek to San Marco and Lakewood Ranch Main Street, which all those new homeowners on the Manatee side of University Parkway should be supporting, but aren’t (just look at the parking lots).

Worried that we would never again be able to buy first-crush fresh olive oil, or $2,000-a-pound white winter truffles in Sarasota, I called Sarasota Olive Oil’s owner Kelly Kary today. Sadly, truffle season is over. Happily, she’s moving down the street next month to the corner of Central and Fifth, has applied for a beer and wine license, and is taking in new gourmet pastas from Treviso (Sarasota’s sister city as of February last year). Kelly recommends the one made with a radicchio that grows only in the Treviso province of Italy ($9 a pound). 

Another happy ending:  Crème has resurfaced on Tamiami Trail with all the same skin care services and products, plus a new hairstyling salon. Owner Marina Eckert, formerly an esthetician at Clarins in Paris, is touting the new paraben –free, organic Swiss skincare line, Luzern, which is making headlines everywhere from People magazine to Vogue. Fans of Luzern’s Force De vie Crème ($95 for 1.7 oz.) include supermodels Karolina Kurkova and Melani Knauss (Donald Trump’s wife).  May the “Force” be with you as you shop locally in 2008!

Marina Eckert at her new Creme salon on South Tamiami Trail.

Move over, Andy Warhol—Sarasota has its own artsy “factories.”

By Carol Tisch

First Pam and Marcus Anast built a lavish backyard behind their Sarasota Collection Home Store. Ostensibly it was to show off their hot new line of outdoor furniture and accessories. But the gregarious pair also designed the space for fun salon evenings for clients to gather and share good conversation, Algonquin roundtable-style. A post-Christmas visit to the home fashion boutique revealed more retail entertainment is in store: the Anast’s new baby grand and Marcus’s too-long hidden talents as an accomplished singer/piano man.  

Piano man Marcus Anast hits the ivories at Sarasota Collection Home Store.

Next, Michael and Kathy Bush introduced Theater at Home Resource (their Central Avenue store), where the furniture vignettes serve as the props and the theater seating is the showroom's furniture. Michael didn’t charge admission to the performances because he wanted to share the type of theater experiences he and Kathy happily discovered while living in London. “By definition, Fringe Theater was anywhere you could get 40 people and a few actors together, from a loft to a local pub,” he says. The success of last summer’s Night of Tennessee Williams prompted a new production, A Taste of Chekhov, which will run January 15 to Jan. 18 at 7 p.m. This time excerpts from four of Chekhov plays will be performed each night by professional Sarasota actors. Reserved seating only through kbush@homeresources.com.

But no one has taken the Andy Warhol factory concept to the level that Michael Judge plans to achieve. He’s forming an interdisciplinary arts studio in a loft space set to open the last week of January above Main Book Shop (opposite the Hollywood 20 cinemas). Clients will walk through the bookstore to access a private elevator to his Modern Times Gallery on the third and fourth floors.

Abstract expressionist Michael Judge at the new Modern Times Gallery with sculpture by new discovery, Mark Chew.

“Think New York, not Sarasota,” Judge said as he previewed the cavernous 12,000-square-foot space for SarasotaMagazine. An abstract expressionist himself, Judge, his wife Amanda, advertising maven Sandra Hagen, and Jens Albiez, owner of Sternberg Interiors, have combined resources to partner in the new Modern Times Gallery. Modern Times will have a full-service advertising agency, an interior design studio that looks as if it stepped out of New York’s Design & Decorators Building, and two art gallery floors, one by appointment only.

Judge’s gallery is the ultimate party space, and perfect for exhibit openings and meet-the-artist events. Even the rest room is a work of art, completely painted (including pipes, ceiling, walls and floor) with abstract figures by local artist Anita Wexler. “I wanted it to be a living painting,” Judge explains

Watch for the opening exhibition, a pictorial retrospective of Marilyn Monroe’s life with 135 works from Modern Times’ collection. “It goes from Norma Jean in 1946 to the last photos taken by George Barris on Santa Monica Beach the day before she died,” says Judge, noting that the works on view will be from the former collections of renowned art dealers Edward Weston (who collected Marilyn Monroe photos and graphics for fifty years), and from Andrew Weiss Gallery in Beverly Hills, California. Naturally, the Sarasota show will display all 10 images of her face [by Andy Warhol] in every color, Judge said.

Sarasota Collection Home Store, 622 Central Avenue, Sarasota, (941) 955-8313

Home Resource Contemporary Furniture, 741 Central Avenue, Sarasota (941) 366-6690

Modern Times Gallery, 1962 Main St., (third & fourth floors), Sarasota (941) 365-2800

For a solid week, some of the hottest names in the fashion world have descended on Sarasota. First up was the elegant grand opening reception last Wednesday night for Van Cleef & Arpels’ new jewelry salon at Mayors in the Westfield Southgate Mall (that’s right, Southgate Mall)!

Van Cleef & Arpels' Alhambra chain and Snowflake diamond-and-platinum bracelet.

P.S. What did Charles Nolan pick from his spring 2008 collection as the two items most perfectly suited to the Sarasota lifestyle? Pick No.1: “The champagne metallic faille coat that opened the show: The gold lame makes it the perfect updated trench to wear over an evening dress or over jeans.” 

If fashion designer Charles Nolan were your personal shopper, he'd pick this Champagne Faille trench coat.

Gifts galore: fur sweaters, estate jewelry, Oprah’s picks and more.

Swing backs are out; activists slash mink; Persian lamb is acceptable (but mine has a swing back). The lengths are wrong: they date you (stylistically and chronologically); and the article says for the same price as a remodel (under a grand), your money is better spent on a chic, new, politically-correct knitted rabbit sweater. Knitted rabbit?

Later that very day I’m checking out new stores for Sarasota Magazine and serendipity hits at Samba. It’s right next door to the Girl from Brazil on Main Street, but has nothing to do with Latin America – go figure. My eye gravitates to two adorable fur sweaters. I ask what they’re made from, and the owner says, “Knitted rabbit – it’s really hot in Europe.” Score one for Samba. The price is even better: $595.

All I want for Christmas is a knitted rabbit sweater at Samba ($595).
 

“So why’d you name the store Samba?” (I couldn’t resist). “I love the music,” says Kate Alton, who owned a resort fashion boutique on Martha’s Vineyard before opening here last year. Samba also has great Ruby Firecat handbags ($300 to $500), Michou jewelry, and the Euro-chic dresses from $100 to $200 would tempt even Hillary to give up pantsuits.

I’m thinking: Some gift-challenged guy would really score points with one of these rabbit sweaters under the Christmas tree.  But then, who knows about Samba? There are so many fabulous little gems in Sarasota like this shop – many under the radar, perhaps not intentionally. You have to drive to some of them (that’s right, they’re called destination stores).  It’s a little less convenient than one-stop Christmas shopping at the mall, but the treasures inside (and in many cases the values) are worth the effort. Also important: The retailers need your business this time of year.

How about a gift of estate jewelry?  Did you know that Stymar Corp. (also on upper Main Street) has an impressive selection of pre-owned luxury watches and jewelry? I love the way jeweler Charles Kozlowski presents each piece with a photo and appraisal – the ones I saw were done by Richard Sherwood, a respected independent gemologist in town.

It wouldn’t be Christmas without Wonderland, where the whole idea is celebrating Christmas all year long. There’s an amazing selection of ornaments, including ones replicating your favorite breed of dog ($37.50 and 180 to choose from). Other top notch brands are Christopher Radko ($37 to $99) and the hot new collectible line, Mattursky ($18-60). I also saw irresistible and affordable gifts, from witty little rugs by the hip designer Angela Adams to Oprah’s favorite Lug Bags ($22-$75) for travel, the gym and more. 

Angela Adams cotton rugs are designed to make everyone smile. We were thrilled to find them at Wonderland.

With fun-to-find pockets for cell phone, gym card, water bottle and separate lined sneaker pouch, The Lug Puddle Jumper ($75) made Oprah's "O" list.

Samba, 1652 Main St., Sarasota (941) 953-3505

Wonderland, 1507 Main St., Sarasota (941) 364-9808

Openings, closings—and where to get great gifts now.

As sad as I am to report that Uptown Downtown, the nifty home furnishings boutique next to Metro Café on Osprey is closing, it is my obligation as retail therapist to get you over there for Christmas gifts before everything is sold. Owner Judi Summers says the store wasn’t supporting itself, and while her decorating business continues to flourish, the retail component will close when most of the shop’s gorgeous inventory is gone.

Uptown Downtown's stock is going fast at up to 75 percent off.

At least of a third of the stock  is 75 percent off, including incredible banana fiber pillows embellished with bone, shell and embroidery, an assortment of luscious mohair throws ($250 marked down to $62.50) which Judi says didn’t sell in Sarasota because it’s too warm. I bought two as gifts for Northern friends and then decided to keep them. Everything else in the store is either 50 or 25 percent off, including lots of Palacek accessories and some irresistible pillows and textiles from the hottest new home collection: Ankasa, owned by the couture fabric designers who supply Oscar de la Renta, Escada and Vera Wang. Uptown Downtown will be open Tuesdays and Thursdays only from 10 to 4, says Judi, who is hoping to sublet the space.

While everyone’s eyes are on the obvious newcomers to Sarasota’s retail scene (Brooks Brothers on Main and Lemon and today’s much-anticipated debut of Sur La Table at 22 N. Lemon) we’re also about retail therapy: how to fill emotional voids left by Mary’s on Main and Annabelle’s on Osprey Ave. for example. We were thrilled to discover that the torch has been passed. Quite by accident we discovered that Queens' Wreath, the exquisite gem on St Armands Circle has added giftware, porcelain and crystal to its fine jewelry offerings. Handsome mahogany shelves now display Versace vases and decorative plates, Edgar Berebi and L’Objet stemware, picture frames, napkin rings and more.  These brands use 14-karat gold, Swarovski crystals, and Limoges porcelain paste to create giftware that becomes jewelry for the home.

The new crystal and giftware at Queens' Wreath are jewels for the home.

Finally, if you’re wondering where to get your Christopher Radko Christmas ornament fix now that Mary’s is gone, look no further than Madison Park Home Fashion Gallery, where Lance Licciardi and Tim Thomas have taken up the slack. In fact, Tim says Mary Fehily called Radko when she knew she was closing her store and recommended (or hand-picked) Lance and Tim as her successors for the collection. Check out the special Christopher Radko display – up front and center at Madison Park with 42 styles from $43 to $98, including all the new 2007 designs. Now that’s holiday cheer!

Nicola's Journey Stocking, part of the Christopher Radko 2007 collection at Madison Park.

Two Sarasota companies stand out at High Point Furniture market.

By Carol Tisch

High Point, NC, is still the epicenter of the furniture industry. Twice a year retailers and editors from around the world descend on this and neighboring cities to spot trends and buy the products stores will be carrying six months to a year later. They make the pilgrimage because it’s tradition. Time was, almost every major furniture maker in the US had factories in the state. The furniture industry thought it was exempt from import competition because the product was difficult to ship, and overseas quality inferior. All that has changed.

Today, nearly half of the North Carolina-based furniture companies’ wares are imported from Asia in order to be competitive. Most have become marketers rather than manufacturers. And the showrooms at High Point market are filled with entrepreneurs from around the world. The global economy and worldwide Web have allowed small furniture businesses to take root in the most unlikely places: Sarasota, for instance.  

In fact, visits to Keen Manor and Box Furniture, both headquartered in Sarasota, were the high points of my trip to High Point market last week.  Keen Manor is the brainchild of Theresa Guest, who is a Web marketing guru with a resume that includes major positions at Circuit City and Arthur Andersen. She happens to be married to Robert Seth-Ward, who owned Churchill’s Furniture here in town. Theresa parlayed his contacts with British furniture vendors into an association with an Asian source that produces the furniture they now sell to retailers across the country under the brand Keen Manor.

Theresa Guest and Robert Seth-Ward of Keen Manor

Located on a main thoroughfare of big-name showrooms (Baker Furniture is right around the corner), Keen Manor is brimming with a collection of 600 hand-carved, solid wood pieces, most in Country French style. “All the finishing and some of the assembly are done in our Sarasota facility,” Guest explained as we toured the showroom. 

Keen Manor's furniture showroom on High Point's Wrenn Street

The eco-friendly features of Box Furniture aren’t news (the company was among the first anywhere to use only sustainable wood). The big news as that as of November, all Box Furniture products will be certified as “green” by the Forest Stewardship Council in conjunction with Smartwood, the world’s leading forest certifier. We got the news first hand from Vanessa Opstel who was celebrating the opening of her new wholesale showroom at The Mill on Centennial, a grain mill just converted into High Point’s hottest new showroom venue. The loft-like space is the perfect background for the eco-chic furniture, which received the industry’s highest honor, a Pinnacle Award for design, at a recent High Point market. 

Box Furniture's loft space at the restored grain mill comes with original brick and grain processing equipment.

So Venice made America’s Best Places to Retire list, compiled by U.S. News and World Report (10/1/07), and Sarasota didn’t. The disclaimer in the story says the places were selected by the editors based on criteria that included cost of living, crime rate, and climate, recreational activities and access to health care. U.S. News encourages readers to use their Web software, which allows each individual the opportunity to customize the outcome by determining their own specific preferences at www/usnews.com/retiresearch.  

I tried the U.S. News retirement test, and it’s no better than the books or retirement seminars my husband and I invested in before homing in on Sarasota. What do none of these sources warn you to do before moving? To check out the shopping. Trust me, you can have serious shopping withdrawal when you move to some of U.S. News’ hot spots – I know because I’ve lived in another of the top 10, Concord, NH. (The shopping was as bad as the climate, which for some reason attracted U.S. News editors).

I say go to the malls, shop Main Street, feel the energy in retail stores before you decide where you’re going to spend the next 20 years or more of your life. The quality and type of stores is a key indicator of the local lifestyle.  The shopping in Venice is fun, for example, but to live there permanently you will need to employ behavior modification.  You will have to shop Web sites and mail order catalogs to supplement what’s available in brick and mortar stores.

Instead of shopping Chanel or Fendi boutiques on Fifth and Madison Avenues in New York, I now get off on perusing copies of designer handbags and sunglasses (trust me, the best anywhere in the world) in Venice. (Sorry, we can’t publicly reveal the source).  Venice is also home to the Cat’s Meow, one of the best sources for shabby chic home décor in the country – and recognized in editorials in magazines from Coastal Living to Better Homes & Gardens.

Cat's Meow puts Venice on the connoisseur's guide to shabby chic.

You can’t beat the swimsuits at Sun Bug for cutting-edge fashion as well as magically slimming designs. And for the guys, there’s a new Nautical Emporium with everything from model ships to antique lanterns and compasses. If you’re into campy décor, the custom wall art is adorable – sharks, alligators and other critters painted onto old water skis. And there’s more: Our summer 2007 shopping section gives a guide to the best of Venice shopping. After a retail tour, you may just decide to settle down in Venice.

Campy Water Ski wall art amid antique treasures at Nautical Emporium .

By Carol Tisch

It seems social butterfly Elizabeth Scokin, an event planner who has done parties for the likes of Lee Ann Womack, Candace Bushnell and Georgette Mosbacher, has created a line of glamorous, sexy aprons that have attracted the most fashion-forward stores and magazine editors in the country. Scokin heads up Nashville-based Elizabeth Scokin Productions, which promotes fashion and luxury goods through charity events – and A-list celebs.

 It’s a hoot. She says her aprons are the antithesis of those worn by the Stepford Wives, and they are. I still think Denuo’s $22 retro aprons are adorable, but these ($75 -$300) are for dress-up.  

From left: Handmade aprons from Denuo, sorority aprons (for frat house parties?), and the hand-appliqued  Luxe apron from Glam It Up, shaped like a cocktail dress.

There’s the Glam It Up collection that has been modeled on the classic cocktail dress. The body is fitted and the hem flounces. The step-up line is called Glam it Up Luxe: each is individually embellished with ribbon appliqués and numbered to ensure your friends won’t be wearing the same one at their parties. My favorite (though I wouldn’t be caught dead in it) is the Give Me Sugar collection - ties at the waist with billowy sash and adorned with festive rickrack.

By Carol Tisch

Now that the kids are back at school, Pamela Cook decided it was time for the women of Sarasota to kick back and do what comes naturally: shop and party. She’s expecting 150 guests at her Girls’ Night Out bash at Denuo, her new store at 2523 Stickney Point Road on Wednesday, September 19 from 4 to 9 p.m.

Owner and "environista" Pamela Cook of Denuo.

It’s a fun store, filled with hand-crafted home and apparel accessories and gifts, many of the items made by Cook. “I have a problem with boredom, so I make things with fabric,” says the new shop owner, who comes from the corporate world but inherited a talent for design from her grandmother. “She designed and made clothes for socially prominent women (among them Lady Bird Johnson) in the days when they ordered custom wardrobes just to take on their vacations,” Cook says. “I had a killer wardrobe because my grandmother made my clothes – but I wanted to look like everyone else who shopped at Sears.”

Indeed, there is the nostalgic element of the ‘50s and ‘60s ‘happy TV housewife’ syndrome in a lot of Cook’s crafts projects. Oddly, they look intriguingly fresh and new, which signals to me, at least, a shift in lifestyle values.  I adore her “ditsy print” handmade ironing board covers – and they are walking out of the store at $17.95.  I have to admit a soft spot in the ironing board department: My mom layered cover on top of cover just as Cook says she likes to do.

The busy retailer is also making aprons into retro fashion statements ($16 for kids; $22-28 for corporate execs). They’re ruffled and cheerful, some with pockets made of vintage doilies. “I use old patterns for the aprons, but have to resize them because women are taller today,” Cook explains.

A TV housewife apron is retro-chic.

The name Denuo means “fresh beginning.” she says, and it refers to her new career. But that’s the extent of it, because the store is a treasure trove of reclaimed and vintage materials. I loved a white shabby chic armoire at the unbelievable price of $250. There are great vintage wooden buckets from China, and this environista even makes her own calling cards and shopping bags. Check them out. The bags are used cereal boxes with ribbon handles, and the cards are printed on recycled box paper with the original print on the back side.

Since the store opened in July, the hottest seller is Cook’s own original creation, the Tab Bag. She completely covers handbags (in several styles) with garment labels – at $50 to $90, she is just keeping up with demand.

If you’re in the mood, check out the party. For Girls Night Out, in addition to wine and hors d’oeuvres, you can indulge in massage or manicure. A massage therapist, nail technician and jewelry designer will also be on hand.

Models at the New York show.

If summer has passed you by and you haven’t even thought about a vacation, have no fear: The perfume and vodka industries are creating vacations in a bottle for harried consumers. The Tommy Bahama store on St Armands Circle has launched a new fragrance called Set Sail St. Bart’s (reminds me not just of its beach or death-defying airport runway, but of shopping at the island’s Hermes store where the manager opens the door only to passengers disembarking from the most luxurious liners – really).

Both limited edition fragrances from Tommy Bahama (www.tommybahama.com) this year are called Set Sail St. Bart’s: a men’s cologne ($52.50) with a citrus scent said to “stir the senses with a splash of tequila, a twist of lime and a hint of tropical musk.” The woman’s eau de parfum spray ($52.50) is described as a Caribbean floral fragrance. I say it’s the perfect antidote to bathing suit anxiety: Wear it and you never have to actually hit the beach. One question: Didn’t Seinfeld’s Kramer come up with the idea of bottling eau de beach long before the show was cancelled and he went off the deep end?

Set Sail St. Bart's eau de parfum spray from Tommy Bahama.

Still, Seinfeld reminds me of New York and another perfumer, Bond No9 NY (www.bondno9.com). They’ve bottled every neighborhood in the Big Apple, with different fragrances for Chinatown ($120), Bryant Park ($125), Times Square – you name it. You can hop on the tour bus at The Met on St Armands which carried the line the last time I looked, or at Saks, which now devotes an entire case in the cosmetics department to the ever-growing collection.

Chinatown has its own chic scent, thanks to perfumer Bond No9 NY.

Still, this retail therapist is allergic to perfume, and my bathing suit issues exceed the definition of neurosis. I prefer my bikini straight up with a twist of lime – a new martini created by Sarasota’s own Bill Winkler (owner of A Chef’s Table and MTs). Winkler’s “invention”: ZYR Russian Vodka ($33/bottle) on the rocks with a squeeze of Florida key lime. It has captured the attention of the vodka maker, and is being promoted as a carb-free martini that looks as good as its name, Bikini Martini. You’ll find it on the bar menu at MT’s Martinis & Tapas, 8473 Cooper Creek Boulevard, University Park, (941) 360-0007, www.chefstablemts.com

The Bikini Martini, invented by Bill Winkler, owner of Chef's Table and MT's Martinis and Tapas.

Two one-act plays and famous excerpts from other Tennessee Williams works were performed by professional actors under the direction of Louise Stinespring, who says she got the idea for the theater in a store while shopping for furniture at Home Resource. “I wanted to share my passion for Williams’ rare and famous works, and the pink sofa triggered images of his play, The Pink Bedroom,” says the new Sarasota resident, who has taught and acted in New York and most recently was professor of theater at Texas Tech in Lubbock.

Director Louise Stinespring tests the pod chair with Michael Bush of Home Resource before the Friday night show.

Asked what she thought about this up close and personal approach, the nightie-clad star of The Pink Bedroom, actress Cael Barkman, says, “It’s certainly a lot more comfortable for the audience.” Actually, she says it was fun being close to the audience, and her co-star (the older two-timing lover), Tom Aposporos, agreed as they duked out a lover’s quarrel for me before the show.

Tom Aposporos and Cael Barkman face off in The Pink Bedroom for Theater of Home Resource.